


Learning to Fly

by thunderingskies



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Developing Friendships, Falling In Love, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Summer Camp, Teenage Dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 19:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7983844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderingskies/pseuds/thunderingskies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an expulsion from school for a fight (that he didn't even start) has his summer starting on a bad note, Yuuji, a seventeen-year-old probably-not-delinquent is bitter and upset about having to move to a new school. But what begins as his parent's half-baked plan to get him to mellow out by sending him to an intensive sports summer camp might turn out to be the most rewarding summer of his life; and the friends he makes along the way just might become the strongest relationships of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learning to Fly

**Author's Note:**

> Check back shortly - artwork for this fic is coming soon!
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy! I absolutely loved writing this, so I really hope you like reading it!

There are exactly sixty-eight hours, thirty-two minutes and eleven seconds left of Yuuji’s junior year when he gets expelled from high school.

_Sixty-eight hours._

Two and a half days filled with makeshift lessons meant to pass time, students scrolling on their phones or sharing earbuds.

Two and a half days of listening to his teachers try to keep the class quiet.

There probably would have been more than a few movies, too.

But, no - instead, Yuuji is dragged into the principal’s office on his third-last day of school and he’s delivered a knockout punch: he’s expelled.

It isn’t as if he doesn't see _some form_ of punishment coming.

But expulsion?

Needless to say, as soon as he hears it, Yuuji is flabbergasted.

The morning of the expulsion begins just as any other regular day. After all, he’s a pretty regular guy - just barely seventeen, having celebrated his birthday a few months prior. He plays on the school volleyball team. He’s on the honour roll. He studies, he goofs off; he’s fun and light-hearted, not taking himself too seriously.

At eight in the morning, Yuuji’s alarm goes off. He isn’t a morning person, never has been, and getting up is hard - that’s why he has an alarm that goes off every two minutes after the initial one to get him out of bed.

He rouses and showers quickly to help wake himself up.

Looking in the mirror on that fateful morning, he doesn’t see anything amiss.

He checks his reflection in the mirror - same as always. He’s got a bit of a wild look to him, and he can’t say he dislikes it. Yuuji is a bit on the tall side, coming in just over 177 cm. He’s built solid, muscle where it matters, but for the most part he’s fairly lean. Pale, clear skin; almond eyes. His once completely-blonde hair has now been styled, in a way that his mother _hates_ but Yuuji loves.

The bottom half of his hair is shaved, and dyed a deep, dark brown colour. Although he’s not one to willingly admit it, he chose this hair style on a dare. His closest friend from school, Kazuma, dared him on his birthday.

He’s kept it ever since, finding that he likes the feeling of the short hair keeping him cool. Not to mention, it’s soft when he runs his fingers through it, and he’s finally not regarded as the complete and total geek that he truly is on the inside.

Well, the tongue ring and ear piercings also help to dispel that image.

Getting ready for school is fast and eating breakfast is faster. He leaves the house with a half-eaten bagel to finish on the bus, blissfully unaware of what waits for him at school.

As soon as he gets off the bus, though, he sees him.

That complete toolbag in his math class who just _loves_ to pick fights with Yuuji.

He’s not a bad kid, but, he’s not the best at controlling his anger either. Looking back, Yuuji can’t even remember _what_ exactly it was that provoked his anger. But one thing he knew, he was being yelled at by this guy; the next, they were on the ground, his jaw ached and blood dripped from his classmate’s nose.

The principal’s office is welcome when the teacher who breaks up the fight threatens to call the cops if they don’t break it up. So Yuuji gets himself up, steadied by Kazuma, and they trudge down to the principal’s office.

It is there, an hour or so later after his parents have been called, that he’s delivered the news.

“I’m _expelled_?” Yuuji honestly can’t believe it. Expulsion? Really? Isn’t that something that only happens on television?

“We have a zero-tolerance policy for violence,” the principal explains, his expression stiff. It looks like he hasn’t cracked a smile in ages, and the wrinkle lines on his forehead are really distracting. “There are no chances when it comes to violence.”

There’s no use arguing, even though his parents try. It’s an absolute decision, apparently, and the principal acts like he’s reciting the word of God or something with how serious he is about it.

It’s safe to say he’s beyond pissed off, but he’s forced off school grounds and told he’s not allowed to come back.

His parents don’t mention it for the following few days.

It’s almost as if they hope that if nobody brings it up, they can pretend that it hasn’t happened. Home is tense, but Yuuji spends the majority of his time holed up in his room, only leaving when he gets hungry.

Three days later, when he slips into the dining room table still in his pyjamas, his parents corner him into a conversation.

“Yuuji,” his mother begins, brushing some hair behind her ear. “We’ve got something to talk to you about.”

Rather than respond, Yuuji looks up at them, lifting a brow to show he’s listening.

“I’m not going to beat around the bush, but we’re sending you to summer camp next Monday.”

“Wait, what?”

“It’s a few hours North, and it’s going to be for the entire next month,” He continues on.

“A summer camp? What am I, twelve?”

His father laughs. “It’s not like you’re gonna be roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs. It’s an intensive summer camp. There’s no internet access or no cell phones.”

“What are we going to _do_?!”

“Run, probably. I went there when I was young, Yuuji, and it was very influential.”

Yuuji sighs. "Very… influential.”

“Yes. I expect you to be on your best behaviour while there.”

“Do I have any say in this?”

“Are you still expelled?”

Yuuji frowns, “Well, that wasn’t my fault, but yes-”

“Then yes.” His mother sighs, “It’ll be a good opportunity for you to spend some time away, honey. You’ve got the weekend to pack, okay?”

He thinks about arguing - really, he does. But looking from his mother to his father, he knows there’s no point, and he’d really rather get dinner tonight.

So he sighs, nods, and works his way through basic conversation until he finally gets to escape to his room.

* * *

 

He doesn’t pack.

He doesn’t want to go, and tries to figure out how he could get out of it. Could he pretend to be sick?

Nah, that won’t work - his mom is a doctor, she’d figure that one out fast.

An injury? He’d have to make it realistic… No, not a viable option.

He briefly contemplates just running away, but he doesn’t really know where to go. A text to Kazuma just gets the reply of _I’m busy_ , so he puts that idea to bed pretty quickly.

It’s annoying, but, it’s looking like he might have to go through with this.

* * *

God, packing is _the worst_.

Yuuji doesn’t know what he’ll need and he’s too stubborn to ask either of his parents for help.

He packs whatever he thinks might be useful; clothes, sunscreen, sunglasses, extra shoes… He tosses in some books, too, because if he’s going to be stuck there for an entire month, he better have time to do something that doesn’t suck.

* * *

Monday comes quickly.

He contemplates trying to see his friends one before he leaves, but his parents are on his back, so he just does his best to not make any more waves before they’re heading up to the bus.

“You’ll make some good, wholesome friends,” his mother assures him, patting his shoulder.

“Sure,” Yuuji shrugs, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“Have fun.”

_I seriously doubt that._

Still, though, he slips on to the bus, shoving his bag into the seat beside him. Plugging his headphones in, he’s content to close his eyes and ignore the world for a little while.

* * *

It feels like absolutely no time has passed when Yuuji is being shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder.

“Dude, get up!”

Yuuji blinks his eyes open, blearily, seeing a cheery-looking guy with silver hair smiling down at him.

“We’re here!” He says, before stepping off the bus.

Almost everyone else is out already, so Yuuji grabs his backpack and staggers out of the bus. He’s still half asleep and exhausted, and nearly jumps in shock when a loud voice booms through a megaphone. 

“Good afternoon, kids!”

Yuuji cringes. He already doesn’t like it.

The person talking is maybe in his late twenties, with dark hair and glasses. He looks genuinely happy to be here. It’s slightly disturbing.

Yuuji can’t be bothered to listen. He just flinches when the voices get too loud, eyes sweeping around to get a feel of the other people who were here.

It looks like he’s among the oldest of the group, ages ranging from fifteen all the way up to eighteen. Most of the teenagers here look pretty athletic, which makes Yuuji remember that his dad said this is an _intensive_ camp.

Ugh.

Then the camp director starts talking again. “So for anyone who is new - you’re being sorted into teams, which are small groups of cabins, based on your responses to the questionnaire and what kind of activities you like. There will be six people total per team, so please listen up to which team you will be apart of.”

The rest of the proceedings go by pretty quickly, thankfully, although Yuuji has no idea what this questionnaire is. His parents probably did it for him which means it’s probably all wrong. Well, considering that he doesn’t really like _any_ outdoor activities, he isn’t really sure how even he would have answered.

Okay, he likes volleyball, and swimming. But that’s really it.

He’s a part of team 7, and the director then explains that each team will earn points over the month for participating in events. At the end of the month, the team with the most points will win.

_What is this, Harry Potter?_

Yuuji shakes his head, not really getting it, but lots of the guys seem pumped to win.

Great.

With the camp director finally done his little monologue, Yuuji is shuffled over to get his cabin assignment. The camp counsellor there definitely does _not_ have regulation hair - it’s blonde, and pulled way back into a headband. Yuuji eyes him curiously.

“You’re rooming with Iwaizumi Hajime,” he is told, shortly. “Over this way.”

All he gets is a thumb pointed in that direction, but Yuuji doesn’t even care. He’s tired, still annoyed and he just wants to go drop his bag off and be done with it.

It takes a bit of maneuvering, but he makes his way over to his group of cabins. It’s pretty late, so they just get handed some sandwiches and are told to go and unpack for the evening.

Thank god, because Yuuji is pretty sure that if he has to deal with one more absurd smiling face he’s going to snap right in half.

He’s grateful to step in his cabin and find it empty. This Hajime guy must have not come right away, and that’s fine with Yuuji; he picks the bed furthest from the door and tosses his things on it. He contemplates unpacking, but that just seems like way too much trouble.

He closes his eyes, not even worrying about his shoes as he flops on to the bed. He’s tired, and the sandwich doesn’t look too appealing, but he’s hungry-

“Oh, hey.”

The door swings open and Yuuji cracks open an eye to see what must be his roommate walking in.

This Hajime guy is maybe Yuuji’s height, maybe a bit smaller, but much stockier. He has a very athletic build, showcased by his shorts and sleeveless shirt, with very short black hair. Green eyes look at him curiously as he looks around the room.

“Guess this bed’s mine, then.”

Yuuji grunts. “Your skills of observation are astounding.”

“I’m also observing that you’re probably an asshole, so let me guess - did mom and dad make you come here?”

“You’re just a regular, modern-day Sherlock, aren’t you.”

“Apparently.” A sigh, “Look, dude, we’re sharing this place for a whole month, why don’t we-”

“You know what? I’d rather not. If it’s all the same to you.”

He feels a little bit guilty, because he’s taking his frustrations out on this random guy, but Yuuji can’t help himself.

“Fine, whatever. Just know we have to be up early, and you’re not getting any food other than that sandwich.”

Yuuji doesn’t open his eyes again, but he hears Hajime leaving, slamming the door behind him.

Just great.

Making good, wholesome friends, right?

* * *

“Hey, sleeping beauty, time to get up!”

Yuuji groans and buries his head back into the pillow. He feels like he’s been hit by a ton of bricks – why is it so _loud_ , why did those damn bird decide to take up residence and sing outside his window for _the past three hours_ -

“Hey, princess Yuuji, get up!” Hajime grumbles, lumbering over to Yuuji’s bed. He kicks it, getting another groan, but this time Yuuji at least flips over to look at him. Yuuji blinks, vision fuzzy.

“It’s seven forty-five. Breakfast is at eight, and I’m not supposed to leave without you so it’s time to get your ass up.” Hajime stares down at Yuuji, expression slightly amused. When Yuuji’s vision starts to focus in again, he can see that Hajime is already dressed in a pair of cargo shorts and a camp t-shirt. He’s even wearing hiking boots – oh _god,_ what did Yuuji get himself into – this guy is a _morning person_ -

“Hey, no no no, you cannot go back to sleep!” Hajime sighs loudly when Yuuji decides to roll back over and slide his head under the pillow. He mumbles something but it’s totally incoherent to the boy above him.

“Alright dumbass. Come _on_ . If we’re not on time to breakfast, the director is gonna take away points!” Hajime steps a little closer to Yuuji, hands reaching out for his pillow. Yuuji mumbles something that sounds like “so?” just as Hajime gets his little claws on Yuuji’s pillow. “ _So_ , dumbass, it’s a really stupid way to lose points. I would like to win this year, not just for me but for all of the guys who have also been coming and really want to…” With that, he _pulls_ , yanking the pillow right out from under Yuuji’s head. Yuuji flips over, trying to make a grab for it but Hajime is already at the other side of the cabin, waving that damn pillow around like a prize.

“Fine, _fine_. I’m up.” Yuuji rubs his face, exhaling loudly.

“Alright, get dressed. I’m pretty sure those ninja turtles pyjamas aren’t the best attire for the typical first day activities.” Hajime walks back towards his bed, tossing down Yuuji’s pillow. He’s keeping that thing hostage until Yuuji is ready. He busies himself while Yuuji strips, picking some clothes out from his open suitcase. Unlike Hajime, he hasn’t unpacked. Sulking is a little too time-consuming for that.

Yuuji picks up one of the camp t-shirts he’s been given – it’s an awful teal colour, but, whatever – and slips it over his head. “First day activities?” He asks, grabbing a pair of black shorts.

Once he’s ready, Hajime just smiles. “You’ll see.”

Yuuji is far too tired and caffeine-deprived to even badger him further, so he just follows his cabin mate out the door. He shoves his hands in his pockets, looking around semi-curiously as he walks (not that he’s excited to be here. He just might as well know where things are, if he’s going to be here for so long, of course). They pass a few fields designed for sports, more routes leading off to cabins, a big sand pit, a basketball course and a trail leading straight into the woods.

Hajime nods towards a big wooden building situated next to the boat dock as they get closer to the lake shore. “That’s where we eat. It’s open all day, cause everybody’s activities start and end at different times, but the food is most fresh right around your typical meal times.” Yuuji just nods, feeling his stomach rumble.

Okay, maybe breakfast is a good idea – but he’s not admitting that to Hajime anytime soon.

They step inside the building and Yuuji is met with mayhem.

Well, not _actual_ mayhem, but it’s _loud_ . Teenagers are all over the place, seated at long tables along the hall; they’re lined up to get more food, hovering over the drinks table, chatting and talking and _laughin_ g-

“Over here,” Hajime says, and wades through the people. Yuuji tries to keep his eyes trained on that spiky head of black hair as to not lose him, although he’s not sure why he feels like it’s a good idea to stay near. It just does.

“Hey, guys!” Hajime stops at a table half-full of teenage boys, all looking at them, all wearing expressions somewhere between happy and sleepy.

Yuuji is glad he’s not the only one who isn’t a morning person.

“Hajime, it’s good to see you!” The one closest to them greets; he’s built thickly, like Hajime, although he’s a bit shorter and not as tan.

“Hey hey hey!” Another morning person shouts from the other side of the table, “Ha _jime_!” He hollers, waving his hands.

It’s clear this is a bunch of guys who have all been going here for years; they greet each other and hug with familiarity. Yuuji contemplates walking back, finding somewhere else to sit-

“Guys, this is Yuuji.” Hajime gestures over towards him, and Yuuji is a little surprised that he actually sounds happy. Despite the fact that he was a royal ass to him last night and a little bit of a princess this morning.

“Hey, Yuuji, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Daichi.” The one next to Hajime extends his hand, so Yuuji shakes it. He has a firm grip; it’s sort of comforting. “Grab some food then you can meet the rest of the group.”

Hajime nods, directing Yuuji over to the food line. “Yeah, the other cabins call us ‘squad biceps’, or whatever. But our number for the competition is 7.” He shrugs and Yuuji is in too desperate need of coffee to really think about it any harder.

They manage to snag some food (there’s no coffee – which makes Yuuji very sad, so he has to settle for some hot chocolate and pretend), and they head back to the table. He manages to get a few bites in before he’s yanked into conversation, meeting the group of guys he’s going to be spending the next month with.

And the worst part?

He doesn’t even mind them.

The first is Daichi, who is nice and kind; he doesn’t let the others get away with too many antics, and makes them let Yuuji eat in peace, so Yuuji likes him right away. It’s clear he’s not a pushover, though; he quickly shuts down some guy who tries to walk by and spew some rude comment at their table. He seems… protective. Like an older brother. Yuuji finds him kind of reassuring.

Next to him is Tetsurou, who clearly is not a morning person either. He’s half asleep in his food at first, and it takes a good fifteen minutes of chatting in his ear and food in his belly to get his motor going. Once he’s actually coherent enough to talk, though – boy, does he _talk_. He’s loud and sassy, but not in a bad way. Yuuji actually learns a few things from him; his wild image is very misleading, as he proves himself a nerd within five minutes by going on a rant about plants.

At the end of their side is Koutarou; he’s got energy for _days_ . He seems ecstatic at the arrival of Hajime and pulls him into conversation effortlessly. Yuuji isn’t certain, because he could just be unfocused from the lack of coffee, but he looks like he’s actually vibrating. He seems a bit annoying, until he actually starts bringing Yuuji into their conversation. Asking him easy questions, seeing if he likes his cabin, has enough space, if Hajime is being mean to him – he’s caring. Yuuji is a little surprised – hell, they met all of _twenty minutes ago_ – but he answers anyway, and the way that Koutarou lights up is rewarding.

The last – and the quietest – is a guy named Kentarou. He’s got blonde hair and some wicked stripes, but he looks a little like he just swallowed a lemon. He’s quiet, though, and Yuuji finds out that he has a soft spot for animals.

Yuuji learns a lot, really. They’ve all been coming to this summer camp for years. They’re all clearly close, but Yuuji doesn’t feel out of place. It’s nice.

All five of them – Hajime included – are pretty built. Broad shoulders, thick build, clear tug of muscles beneath the skin whenever they move. Calling them ‘squad biceps’ doesn’t seem that far off, but Yuuji has to wonder why he got placed in here. He’s no slouch, but he’s built more lean. He doesn’t really get time to consider it though, as a loud, booming voice from the front of the hall interrupts them.

“Good morning, campers!” The director walks in with a _megaphone_. Yuuji dislikes him already. “You have ten minutes to finish eating. Have some water. Digest. Then be ready to start down at the track.”

Yuuji’s stomach flips. “The track?”

Koutarou nods, leaning back in his chair. “So it has begun.”

Kentarou sighs. “This is why I can never eat the first day. My stomach knows what’s coming.”

Yuuji glares over at Hajime, who just chuckles. He pats his shoulder, “You’ll be fine. You just had eggs and toast. I would have steered you away from anything more.”

But still, he feels uneasy as he swallows down a full glass of water.

That uneasiness proves to be for good reason, when twenty minutes later, the camp director sends them off for a ten kilometer run.

Ten. Kilometers.

“Ten fucking kilometers?!” Yuuji almost wheezes; he’s not sure he’s ever run that much in his _life_ before, let alone doing it on his first day at camp at eight thirty in the morning.

Hajime gives him a sympathetic look as they run side-by-side. “Just focus on your breathing. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Don’t let yourself start gasping for breath or you’ll have to stop.” He gives him a reassuring nod, and Koutarou runs by and slaps Yuuji on the back for good measure.

He’s not sure how he’s going to survive this one day, let alone a month of this. By the time they finish running, Yuuji’s legs feel like jelly and he’d really like to sleep for a week.

Getting tossed in the lake at that point is welcome – it cools Yuuji off, and he slides underwater with familiarity. He loves the water, and he shakes his head, water flying everywhere.

“Heeeey,” Koutarou laughs, splashing back at him.

Kentarou just rolls his eyes, but Yuuji sees the way the corners of his lips tug up into a smile.

Daichi laughs, “alright, let’s-“

“New addition this year, campers!” The director smiles, “it seems like some of you still aren’t tired, so you’re going to be swimming from this dock, to the one across the island and back.”

Hajime pales. “Fuck.”

Even the lifeguards look like they’re feeling sorry for them.

When they finally are able to crawl back to their cabins, all six just collapse in the small clearing between their cabins.

There are three showers and six wet, sweaty, tired teenagers.

“I don’t even care, I’m going to bed.” Tetsurou throws his arms up, staggering back to his cabin. Koutarou makes a face at that.

“Dude, you better not stink up our cabin!”

Yuuji feels a rush of adrenaline and uses it, whipping to his feet. He manages to shower himself off (ignoring Koutarou’s complaints of _hurry up guys_ and Hajime’s threats of _don’t you dare come in here again, Kou_ ).

It feels like a lifetime has passed when he finally crawls into his bed, stretching his legs out. Hajime isn’t far behind him, drying off his hair and hanging up his wet clothes to dry.

Yuuji winces, the muscles in his legs tight from the exercise that he’s not used to.

“Stretch it out and massage it,” Hajime instructs, as he heads over to his bed. Yuuji stretches and runs his fingers along the muscle, expression tense.

Yuuji looks up to see Hajime doing the same thing; the only difference being that his fingers massage the muscle of his calves deftly and with experience.

Yuuji swallows, looking down at his own leg. It aches, but he tries to repeat the motion, only it’s uncoordinated.

“Here, want me to show you?” Hajime offers once he’s finished with himself.

He doesn’t wait for an answer, pulling himself up and sitting down on the edge of Yuuji’s bed. “Alright, leg,” he says, holding out a hand.

Yuuji lays his leg down on Hajime’s lap, fighting back a blush. He doesn’t even know _why_ he’s embarrassed, but he is. If Hajime notices, he doesn’t say anything – he just presses into Yuuji’s calf muscles hard.

“If it’s too much just tell me, okay?’ Hajime doesn’t even look up from what he’s doing. He’s focused, doing one leg and then the other.

Once he’s finished, he looks up with a smile. “Alright, how’s that feel?”

Yuuji flexes his legs – they’re still a bit sore, but not nearly as much as before. “Better. Thank you.”

“Sure thing,” he nods, getting up to go back to his bunk. “Get some rest – tomorrow is gonna be a long day.”

Yuuji breathes, nodding.

Today has been a whirlwind. He doesn’t know if he should feel happy and excited, or upset still for being sent here. He’s far too exhausted to really think about it, and as soon as Hajime turns off the light, he’s rolling over and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

What Hajime tells Yuuji in no way prepares him for what he’s met with as the camp begins, in all the best ways.

Every day there’s a new activity, each more challenging than the last.

Yuuji tries kayaking.

Yuuji discovers that he is _awful_ at kayaking, especially when he’s paired with Tetsurou as his “buddy”.

Apparently the camp lost a kid for two days a few years ago, so now all activities are done in pairs, and the camp directors like to shake things up. The partners, for convenience sake (and under the guise of “building friendships”, like they’re taking this right from the pamphlet) are usually two kids stuck together from the same group of cabins, so Yuuji finds himself paired with another guy from team 7.

“I can do it!” Tetsurou promises Yuuji, wearing a smile that Yuuji would come to know as his ‘getting into trouble’ smirk. “I’m a good kayaker. Promise.”

“Okay, okay,” he agrees. “I’m behind you.”

That, as it turns out, is mistake number one. He somehow misses the fact that Koutarou and Kentarou are snickering behind him, clearly very much aware of what’s in store for him.

Mistake number two is not smacking Tetsurou over the head with his paddle with he continues to kayak up close enough to bump their plastic kayaks together.

They’ve managed to get into some sort of a rhythm, cautiously floating down the lake. They’re leagues behind most of the other kayakers - except for Hajime and Daichi, who are tasked with holding up the rear as they’re two of the more experienced kayakers.

It’s fun, Yuuji finds - he’s not actually that _bad_ at it - or well, maybe he could get better with some practice. He shakily pushes himself forward, propelling through the cool lake water fairly smoothly.

“Hey Yuuji!” Tetsurou is chuckling, and his voice draws near. “Think fast!”

He is too fast for Yuuji to react, bumping their kayaks together and sending Yuuji’s toppling right over and into the water.

“Tetsu!” He yells, sputtering as he spits out water. He swims on the surface easily, the mandatory life jacket he is wearing keeping him afloat. His friend laughs, paddling his canoe right up to Yuuji.

As soon as Tetsurou is within arm’s reach, Yuuji snaps his arm out and rocks his kayak _hard_ ; he sends Tetsurou wavering, falling into the water right after him.

Tetsurou springs up from the surface of the water, laughter on his lips. “Yuuji!” He laughs, “get your skinny ass over here so I can kick it!”

“Dream on!” Yuuji huffs, splashing a big wave right into Tetsurou’s face.

The two laugh and launch themselves at each other; they end up in an intense wrestling match - or, well, as intense as it can get with the two of them trying to maneuver around their big lifejackets. They float easily, splashing and tugging at each other, neither one giving an inch.

Yuuji _just_ about has him, he’s about to get behind Tetsurou-

Until a _huge_ splash soaked them both, water pouring over their faces mercilessly.

“Come on idiots, at this rate the rest of the group is going to be back before we even leave the shore.” Daichi looks down at him, chuckling.

It takes some grumbling and complaining, but they haul themselves back into their kayaks, ignoring Hajime’s snorting at their completely drenched hair.

* * *

The sport of choice at this summer camp, Yuuji learns, is soccer.

Almost _every day_ there is at least an hour spent practicing the sport or having a scrimmage.

“Why couldn’t it be volleyball!” Yuuji complains _loudly_ after a rather rough match. He got put on the less-than-capable team, who were thoroughly plowed by the strong team. Yuuji is pretty sure he saw the camp director, Ukai, watching and laughing about it.

Yuuji isn’t the best player around.

He’s not the worst, but he isn’t familiar with the plays; he’s not used to how he has to kick in order to get the ball going where he wants.

And all the running?

Forget it.

“Well, at least today you didn’t eat shit,” Koutarou laughs, coming up beside him and slinging an arm around his shoulder. “That’s progress.”

“He’s right,” Kentarou adds from Yuuji’s other side. “You only tripped someone on your team like, three times.”

“Wow, thanks guys, I feel so cheered up.”

But it’s impossible to hide the smile on his face.

And when Daichi takes him aside after dinner to practice for a few hours before bed, he can feel himself getting a little better.

* * *

 It doesn’t take long for Yuuji to really feel like a member of group 7.

The very last day of the first week, the boys are woken up _early_ by music blasting out of a boom, travelling down the path. “Wake up and get your butts down to the caf!” A voice calls, one that Yuuji doesn’t recognize.

Yuuji just about falls out of bed, having to be dragged up and coaxed into getting dressed by Hajime; they’re out in a matter of minutes, joining the others who are trudging along.

They walk down the pathway and find most of the other cabins have been roused.

“This is suspicious,” Daichi notes, raising a brow curiously.

Hajime hums, steadying Yuuji with a hand on his shoulder when he stumbles. “Yeah, I’ve got an idea what it is…” he trails off, looking up as they approach the main building.

The main building, where the camp director Ukai is grinning positively evilly.

Yuuji’s stomach turns.

They’re all handed plastic paintball guns and balls of paint in coordinated colours. Team 7 gets all teal coloured paint, which Yuuji shoves in his pocket for safekeeping.

As soon as the camp director blows his whistle, signaling the start, _chaos_ breaks out.

Paint flies everywhere in a flurry of colours as everyone tries to get someone from another team. Yuuji has no idea who he’s even hitting before Daichi yanks him back, along with the rest of his team.

He’s clearly a natural-born leader; he pulls them back, keeps them off to the side so that they can flank off scragglers from other teams who get too close, until the amount of campers left has significantly dwindled.

“Okay,” Daichi mumbles as they’re crouched behind some random cabin, “It looks like it’s just the other third-years left.”

Yuuji quirks a brow. “Does that mean we’re in for some competition?”

“Well, yes and no,” Tetsurou cuts in. “Team 5 is pretty good. They’ve got Koushi, Keiji and Shigeru. They might look sweet and all but they almost always are on the winning teams for this.”

“I can get them!” Koutarou laughs before he’s shushed by Hajime.

“Your aim is terrible. You have an accuracy of, like, 25%.”

Koutarou snorts. “What is this, some sort of video game?”

“Sure,” Yuuji breathes. “I mean, if this is a multiplayer fps, it’s pretty clear Kou would be a tank.”

“Tank?”

“Yeah, you like, draw fire to you, and clear a path for us. You’re in the thick of things.”

“Oh, I like that,” Koutarou grins.

“Yeah. Hajime is definitely an offensive character. High mobility, high kill rate.”

Hajime rolls his eyes, “You’re a nerd. But continue.”

“Kentarou would probably be an offensive too. You’ve got a knack for surviving.”

Tetsurou brightens, “And, and? Me?”

Yuuji purses his lips. “Defense. For sure. Lots of damage, really good range. You always spot people coming from far away. Daichi too, ‘cause he really likes traps.”

Daichi snorts, holding back laughter. “Nice. I like it. So what does that make you?”

“I dunno. It’s hard to tell since it’s me.”

“Support, probably,” Kentarou shrugs.

“Kentarou! You’re a nerd too!” Yuuji grins, delighted.

“Ugh. Just come on, let’s finish this so that we can get out of here.” Kentarou loads some more paintballs into his gun, “What’s the strategy here guys?”

Daichi grins. “Don’t worry guys, I got this in the bag.”

They disperse moments later, clawing out a victory in a match that is complete and total anarchy.

Koutarou keeps their opponents busy, but it’s not long before he’s been shot down; they systematically take down more opponents, but Tetsurou gets taken down shortly thereafter.

“There’s only a few left! Let’s make the final push!” Daichi signals Kentarou in over and they’re quick to flank.

It looks like there are maybe four other guys left, against their three.

Yuuji shouts out and gets Daichi out of the way of a shot; Kentarou takes down the guy, to which he yells, “Kentarou! Fuck! Not again!”

Kentarou laughs, and in his distraction a guy with dark hair sneaks up on him; they take each other out with a quick draw of paintballs.

“Fuck! Keiji!”

Daichi breathes, nodding to Hajime and Yuuji. There’s two others left now.

They split up in an attempt to flush them out, hardly even listening to the campers who’ve been killed yelling and shouting in an attempt to cheer for their team of choice.

Hajime just barely dodges some paint; Yuuji hits one guy clean in the back, and Daichi takes one to the chest.

Hajime quickly finishes off the last guy with a quick shot to the stomach; he jumps back, laughing. “Damn it Hajime!”

“Sorry Koushi, you’re not getting me this year.”

He grins and they all explode in laughter.

The camp director shouts from his loudspeaker, “Alright! Everyone but team 7, grab a bucket, you’re on clean-up duty!”

* * *

In the morning of their second Monday, the camp director Ukai informs them that they will be taking part in an overnight camping trip for everyone who’s seventeen and older. They’re being given a canoe, fishing supplies and a tent with the instructions to ‘make it work’.

Yuuji looks at him like he’s crazy, but, they all go along with it.

That’s how he ends up on a random island in the middle of the lake, unpacking their canoe with Koutarou.

Hajime and Kentarou are already baiting hooks and finding a spot to fish. They’ve had to paddle from the shore to one of the many nearby islands, which was a lot more strenuous that Yuuji had imagined it would be.

Daichi ties up the canoe once they’ve gotten the last of their supplies out. He and Koutarou haul the load, following after Tetsurou who says he’s found a good spot to pitch the tent and set up for the evening.

“What do you think?” Tetsurou asks, spinning and gesturing wildly to the space he’s found. It’s a nice clearing; only about fifteen feet from a rocky shore, so they’re not far from a fishing spot yet there’s no risk of water flooding their camp. There’s lots of dirt space, which will probably be good to get a fire going, and trees with high branches provide shade.

“Looks good to me,” Yuuji says, although he literally has never gone camping before so he has absolutely no frame of reference. Koutarou nods, too, but for some reason Yuuji doesn’t think he really knows anything either.

“Great!” Tetsurou starts unpacking the tent, while Daichi and Koutarou head off to find some rocks and sticks to get a fire pit ready. If they’re cooking up some fish, they’re gonna need it.

Yuuji steps off, trudging over to the shore and stepping on the rocks to get closer to where Hajime and Kentarou have set themselves up.

Fishing rods in hand, they’re set up about five feet apart. The water seems pretty calm and they chat idly.

“How’s it going?” Yuuji asks, stepping in between them and dropping down to sit cross-legged.

Hajime just hums, but Kentarou nods. “Good, we’ve got two so far.” He points a thumb to a bucket on the shore where he can see a fish fin sticking out.

“Nice,” he grins. The two are quiet, and it’s nice - they fall into a comfortable silence, just enjoying the breeze.

They catch four more fish, which they’re grateful for as they have four hungry teenage boys to feed. Yuuji grabs the bucket while Kentarou and Hajime reel in the fishing lines and they head over to where their camp is set up.

Or… where it’s _supposed_ to be set up.

The tent somehow looks even less set up than it did when Tetsurou was just pulling it out of the bag.

Daichi, Koutarou and Tetsurou are standing all around it, bickering loudly.

“Well, this part goes _here_ -”

“No, no, you got it wrong! We need to pull it apart!”

“No, seriously, I think this goes on the other side.”

“This is part of the top, I think?”

“No… the instructions make it look like it’s part of the bottom…”

“I don’t have a fucking clue what we’re doing here, guys.” Koutarou shrugs, taking a step back, defeated. He turns just in time to see the group approaching with the fish, flashing them a sheepish grin.

Hajime sighs. “Okay, between the six of us we’ve _got_ to be able to figure out how to set up this thing.”

Nodding, Yuuji puts down the bucket and rubs his hands together. “Let’s do this.”

Twenty minutes and a lot of frustrated groaning later, they’ve only managed to make a bigger disaster.

“What is this, an Ikea shelf? This shit is ridiculous!” Daichi sputters.

“Yeah, I’m tappin’ out.” Kentarou huffs, throwing down some metal bar that doesn’t seem to even go anywhere on this stupid tent.

Hajime looks up, “Well, it doesn’t look like it’s gonna rain tonight, so we should be fine just out here.”

It’s a pretty unanimous decision.

They toss the tent back into its bag, instead choosing just to unroll the sleeping bags in the clearing. Kentarou starts the fire while Daichi and Hajime stare at the fish.

And stare.

Then, “Well, are you gonna filet them?” Yuuji asks the obvious question.

“Uh, yeah… I guess…” Daichi looks a little uncertain, but he takes the filet knife out of the bag.

“Do you… know how?” Yuuji questions.

“I mean, it can’t be that hard.”

“You just cut off the skin and cut out the parts with lots of bones, right?” Hajime reasons.

Now it’s Yuuji’s turn to laugh. “Here, let me.” He praddles up to them, holding out his palm. Daichi hands over the knife and he sets to work.

He picks a nice flat rock, washing it off first. He takes each fish one by one, fileting them with surprising ease; he slices off the skin, feeling around for the bones and cutting along the lines of meat.

Everyone stops to watch; soon enough, there’s a pile of fish meat. Yuuji discards the unwanted bits, heading out to the water to wash his hands and arms off.

When he comes back everyone is still staring.

“What?” He asks, crossing his arms.

Daichi chuckles. “You’ve got a lot of experience doing that.”

“Just please tell me it’s only fish you’re good at cutting up,” Koutarou adds.

Yuuji hums. “Well, it’s a pretty transferable skill. I could probably cut up just about anything.” Seeing Koutarou’s shocked expression, Yuuji bursts into laughter. “Oh my fuck, Kou, you’re so gullible. I’ve worked for a butcher for the past two summers. It was my job to cut up whatever fish and animals he brought in.”

“Nice,” Hajime laughs, when Yuuji’s able to calm himself down to a soft wheezing. “Alright, now who’s hungry?”

The fish tastes surprisingly good, considering it’s just roasted around the fire; Yuuji wonders if maybe his company could have anything to do with it.

The conversation is infectious, and between devouring pieces of walleye he finds himself laughing along with them and joining in on the conversation.

He learns even more about the guys.

He learns that they’ve all known each other for years - some varying amounts, depending on when they started coming - but their friendship is solid. Even when they’re apart, going to different schools during the year, they keep in touch.

With full bellies, they let the fire burn on its own, sipping back on bottles of cold water. The sun sets, the night breeze blowing through, chilling them. They end up huddled together, pressed close to the fire, to keep warm.

“Hmmm, how about a game of truth or dare?” Tetsurou suggests, a devilish smirk on his face.

They all agree.

There’s just something about this place - something about being together, out here, where they’ve only got each other. It makes Yuuji want to be honest, and it makes him curious.

“Truth,” Hajime begins when Tetsurou chooses him as the first.

“What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” Tetsurou asks, lopsided smirk on his face.

“My stupid best friend at home convinced me to jump off this bridge into the lake below…” He made a face, nudging Yuuji with an elbow to make sure he was listening. “I have a fear of heights.”

“Daichi, truth or dare?”

He contemplates after a moment before also choosing truth.

“Alright, have you ever lied to your parents about what you’ve been doing after school?”

Tetsurou snickers, shouting “Weak, Hajime!” but he’s promptly ignored.

Daichi nods, “Yeah… for the better part of last year, I told them I was at the library… when in reality I was off seeing my boyfriend.” He chuckles, shaking his head.

Kentarou takes a dare, agreeing to do twenty cartwheels.

“Damn it, I always forget you’re a gymnast,” Daichi clicks his tongue.

Koutarou sings an ear-splitting rendition of _Amazing Grace_ , only receiving a few boos.

Tetsurou tells the embarrassing story of his mom walking in while he was jerking off.

Yuuji talks about his ex-girlfriend.

Hajime does a _spot on_ impression of Ukai; Daichi very reluctantly jumps into the lake, quickly followed by everyone else when they all get the same dares out of spite.

Kentarou reveals that he’s got a big, fat crush on a cute brunet in one of the other cabin groups, who goes to his school, but he refuses to admit who it is. Koutarou admits that he literally ran away from a girl who confessed to him; Tetsurou spares them another embarrassing dick story, choosing instead to do a handstand until it’s his turn again.

Yuuji laughs, and he listens, and he learns.

He learns that he’s not so different from these guys after all.

They’re all stupid sometimes and make mistakes - Tetsurou got suspended from school for a month for back talking a teacher. Kentarou broke his nose in a fight be probably could have avoided, and Daichi is notorious for worrying about problems that he can’t solve.

They’re not perfect and they’ve all got their own demons. Sometimes Koutarou has panic attacks and he’s got trouble dealing. Hajime sometimes goes days without sleeping, unable to figure out the reason why. Yuuji _still_ can’t get through a thunderstorm without it shaking him - but it’s okay, because they’re working at it. It’s tough, but they’re fighters.

They’re strong.

When their eyelids feel heavy and the fire has just about died, they call it a night and crawl into their sleeping bags.

But Yuuji feels wide awake - the view he gets of the stars is amazing.

He hears heavy breathing and snores, telling him that his friends are all asleep already. It’s reassuring, in a way; he feels relaxed, surrounded by them.

“Yuuji?”

Yuuji turns to the sound of Hajime’s voice. He’s only about six inches away from Hajime - if he wanted to, he could reach out and touch him.

But he doesn’t.

“Yeah?” He responds quietly. He doesn’t want to wake anyone else up if he can avoid it.

“You okay?” Hajime eyes him, gaze travelling over his face slowly. “Can’t sleep?”

Yuuji hums and nods. “I’m fine, just looking at the stars.” He rolls back over, laying flat on his back and looking up at the dark sky.

Satisfied, Hajime curls up further into his sleeping bag, but he doesn’t turn away. “Mkay. Goodnight, Yuuji.”

“Goodnight, Hajime.”

Despite the ache in their backs from sleeping on the dirt and the pink spread across their faces and arms from too much time spent in the sun, that outing proves to be one of their favourites.

* * *

The next day, after a long day of soccer, in which Yuuji didn’t trip, didn’t faceplant into the dirt and only scored on his own team _once_ , it is more than disappointing to get to the cafeteria and receive a black bean burger for dinner.

“If I don’t get a proper cheeseburger soon I swear to God I’m going to eat my own hand.” Hajime does _not_ look pleased, and for the guy who is generally really reserved and calm, this is a first.

Yuuji grins. “You know, when I was looking this place up, I noticed that there was a gas station and diner about half a mile away from camp.”

At _that_ , Hajime smiles. “Oh really?”

“Mhm.”

“Tetsu, you hearing this?”

Kentarou even smiles.

“Well I guess I know what we’re doing before lights out today.”

That’s how they end up trudging through the forest surrounding camp, shushing each other as they try to make their way as quietly as possible out to the highway.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Daichi asks, stepping on a big twig.

“Yes, I am!”

“Shhh, be quiet, it’s not dark yet, and the soccer field isn’t far from here!”

“Do you _really_ think people will still be out playing?”

“Yeah, dude, some teams are really fuckin’ serious about it.”

“Ugh I know man, that Shouyou kid just about took my knee out today!”

“Yeah, when you pair him up with Tobio those two just get on a tear-”

“Hey, guys!” Yuuji grins as they come to the end of the forest where it meets the road. “It’s just down this way!”

They see it right away - it’s nothing special, just your typical roadside diner. There are some old-looking booths and tables, and they’re waited on by a cranky-looking woman who must at least be in her fifties and wears way too much make-up.

The burgers are probably pretty generic, but they all swear up and down that they’re the best burgers they’ve ever tasted.

It’s totally worth the five kilometers they have to run when they show back up at camp and get caught by their camp counsellor.

They hardly even feel the burn in their lungs or the stretch in their calves; it’s all just laughter, shared jokes and the excitement for the few slices of apple pie that they managed to sneak out of the restaurant in their bags.

That, too, proves to be one of the most delicious things Yuuji’s ever eaten.

He grins, happily, when Hajime gives him a slightly bigger piece, watching him eat with an amused grin.

Yuuji's stomach flips at his smile.

Oh, shit.

He has a crush on Hajime.

He definitely does not spend the rest of the week noticing how beautiful his smile is.

* * *

Eleven o’clock is lights out.

It’s not a hard rule - everybody remembers it. At nine o’clock, dinner ends and everyone is given free time to do with what they please. Some kids swim, others chat - most sleep. At ten fifty-five, the counsellors announce a lights-out on their stupid little microphones, and by eleven, everyone is expected to have their lights out and be asleep.

Yuuji gets it. Everyone does, for that matter. The counsellors are hard asses about it.

So when, at eleven twenty when Hajime is mostly asleep and Yuuji is working on it there is a soft knock at their window, Yuuji almost shrieks.

It’s a manly shriek, though - nothing high-pitched. Definitely not like a child. Hajime does not laugh. Not even a little bit.

He stomps to the window as Hajime rolls over in bed, _not_ laughing before falling right off the edge with a loud thump _._ That drags a snicker out of Yuuji - turning to see Hajime trying to untangle himself from his blanket - as he pushes open the window.

On the other side, Tetsurou is grinning like the Cheshire cat. He’s in his pyjamas, which are some really gaudy kitty print pants with a matching red shirt.

“Yuuji,” he whispers, a little too loudly. It sounds like he’s trying not to laugh. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Hajime grumbles something, padding over. He’s scratching his stomach and the scowl on his face definitely looks a lot more cute than he surely intends it to.

Yuuji wants to gag at how ridiculous he’s being - this is a crush, nothing more - but he doesn’t want to break his cover, so he refrains.

“Get your shoes and come on. We’re going to the lake.” He nods to the trail behind Hajime and Yuuji’s cabin, which is a straight-shot to one of the many docks on this island.

“Um, what? Why?” Hajime grumbles, words slurring and- _damn it, Yuuji, focus_.

“Just _trust me_.”

Yuuji and Hajime exchange a look.

Then they shrug, because what the hell - they’ve only got two more weeks left and they’re nearly eighteen, if now isn’t the time to live big, then when is?

Yuuji slips on his shoes and turns to see Hajime grabbing his towel.

He frowns, grabbing Yuuji’s and tossing it at him. “Better to be safe with that lot.”

So he nods, grateful, and they step out into the cool, dark night.

The moon is their only guide - and Tetsurou’s shitty little flashlight, but that’s not helping anyone - as they stumble down the pathway. Koutarou, Daichi and Kentarou are already there waiting for them. Yuuji has to hold back a chuckle at the look on Kentarou’s face - he looks like a soft teddy bear who just wants to go to bed.

Once they’re all together, Tetsurou grins, and Yuuji knows he’s in for trouble.

“So the biggest rule at camp is that we’re not to be out after dark. Right?”

Yuuji has no idea how the little fucker does it. He just wraps his tongue around some words - nothing fancy, even - and somehow they all end up throwing their shirts in a heap, heading to the lake in their boxers and pyjama shorts. He looks proud, like a cat who’s just brought its master home a dead mouse. He shucks off his own clothes, grabbing Yuuji by the arm and dragging him down the dock when he hesitates.

Then they’re six teenagers, half naked, snickering like little gremlins.

“Swimming after dark?” Koutarou lifts a brow. “We’re rebels now, then?”

Hajime shrugs. “I guess. I’m in if you guys are.” He looks over to Yuuji, who shifts his weight from one foot to another uneasily. He hasn’t really been a huge rule breaker before, and he _still_ got in trouble for it…

But then- _ah, fuck it._

He’s here for breaking the rules anyway, so he might as well break a few and have fun with it.

“Let’s do it,” he says, flashing a bright smile. Hajime grins and returns it, stepping a little closer to the edge of the dock.

“Ready?” Hajime asks, looking over at Yuuji. Yuuji gulps; Hajime is _beautiful_ and it’s honestly not fair. The moonlight bounces off his skin perfectly, slipping into the dip of his abs and reflecting-

 _No, Yuuji,_  he reminds himself. _Focus_.

Unable to find his voice, Yuuji nods. Hajime doesn’t look convinced and reaches out to give his shoulder a quick squeeze.

When he pulls his hand away, that spot burns. He has no time to think about it, though - Koutarou pulls him closer, waving his hands about, speaking energetically.

Yuuji has to pause, smiling. He didn’t expect this, coming here - the easy friendship, the feeling of belonging. The _inclusion_.

His attention is so raptured that he somehow doesn’t hear Tetsurou snickering behind them, stepping closer and raising up two palms.

Kentarou turns, and sees but just a moment too late-

“Don’t sink!” Tetsurou _squeals_ , shoving Yuuji and Koutarou off the dock and into the water

Now, the lake water is cold on a good day. At night, it’s _fucking freezing_.

“Fuck!” Yuuji curses, throwing his head back when he resurfaces. Tetsurou is laughing so hard he’s folded over in half - that is, until Hajime gives him a good slap on the back and he falls in too.

Yuuji laughs, running his hands through his wet hair and kicking his legs to stay up. Tetsurou resurfaces, giggling, nearly getting pushed under again when Koutarou grabs on to him and messes up his hair.

Hajime laughs on the dock, turning then to Kyoutani, who freezes on the spot. Rather than be pushed, he jumps in; and is soon followed by Hajime and Daichi.

“Fuckin’ hell!” Daichi laughs, shaking water from his hair. “It’s fucking freezing!”

Kentarou snorts. “You’re tellin’ me!”

Yuuji laughs, swimming up behind Koutarou. Once he’s in place and Koutarou is significantly busy berating Tetsurou, he splashes as big a wave as he can muster at him.

“Hey hey hey!” Koutarou sputters, wiping water out of his eyes. “I’m-gonna-get-you!” He winds up, kicking water.

Instead of hitting Yuuji, though, it splashes Hajime right in the face.

“Oh, it’s fuckin’ on now, Kou.” Hajime grins - and it’s beautifully evil - and the war begins.

They stay out way later than they should - laughing, splashing and talking. Hours pass, the only others awake being the crickets and beetles pattering across the trees.

Finally, when their toes are wrinkled and eyelids heavy, they head back up the beaten trail to their cabins.

Clothes damp but too tired to hang them up properly, Yuuji and Hajime toss them in a pile to deal with later, crawling into their bunks with fresh, dry pyjamas and light hearts.

Yuuji closes his eyes as soon as his head hits the pillow. His breathing softens as he feels the tug of sleep.

“Hey… Yuuji?”

He stirs at the sound of Hajime’s voice. Rolling over, he looks over to where Hajime’s bunk is. “Yeah?”

“I’m glad we got the chance to become friends.”

It’s a good thing it’s so dark because Yuuji has no explanation for the red blush on his cheeks. “Yeah. Um, me too, Hajime.”

Only when he can hear Hajime’s soft snoring is Yuuji able to calm his rapid heartbeat and join him in sleep.

Tetsurou must have planned this well, because the next day is a free day. They only get two free days for the entire month, and Yuuji is beyond grateful that he gets to sleep in the next day.

Hajime doesn’t even mind letting him.

* * *

Yuuji crawls out of the cabin the next morning, yawning; he’s gotten a nice, long rest, thanks to the fact that they didn’t have any 8 am breakfast this morning. He’s _insanely_ grateful for that - especially since they were out until way late last night.

He stops in the cafeteria, grabbing some breakfast; Koutarou and Tetsurou are there, too, so he joins them for a late snack. There’s no fresh food left since it’s after eleven, but they’re able to fill up on bread and pastries and cut-up fruit.

They head down to the clearing, catching in on the end of another soccer game. He’s certainly never going to be a Lionel Messi, but he can hold his own without tripping now.

After a quick lunch of sandwiches and cut-up vegetables, Yuuji heads down to the lake. It’s a hot day and Koutarou will _not_ stop complaining about it, so Tetsurou takes the initiative to launch him in the water, clothes and all. Everyone follows after; it’s refreshing, taking a dip, and Yuuji finds he feels a lot more relaxed when he’s done.

He then heads out to take a seat under one of the big trees up in the grass; there’s plenty of shade and it’s a good opportunity for him to open his book and catch up on some reading.

He’s about six chapters into yet another re-read of _Ender’s Game_ when a cough pulls him from his trance.

Hajime is standing near him, water dripping from his dark hair. He’s wrapped in a towel, but he’s left his wet shirt on the dock to dry. “Hey, mind if I join you?”

He hums thoughtfully, “Sure, go ahead.”

A grateful nod follows and Hajime sprawls out on the grass, arm brushing up against Yuuji’s as he gets comfortable. He lets out a breath, laying his arms out behind his head as a cushion.

“I don’t know how they’ve got so much energy,” Hajime admits, his eyes fluttering closed. “I’m exhausted.”

Checking his watch, Yuuji smiles a little. “We’ve got a few hours until dinner, if you want to take a nap.” He glances over to Hajime, whose chest is already rising and falling rhythmically.

“Hm. I guess.. That’s an alright idea,” he says, shuffling to get comfortable. “Wake me up before they get out of the water, ‘kay?”

“Sure,” he agrees, watching as Hajime relaxes.

It doesn’t take long, he notes, and Hajime is a pretty quiet sleeper. He shifts a bit, tilting his head towards Yuuji before falling into a deep sleep.

Yuuji definitely doesn’t take a little extra time to appreciate how cute his face looks all scrunched up.

Definitely not.

* * *

 Yuuji finally gets a break from all the exercise with a relaxing “art” day, later that second week.

Daichi complains about it - he’s not very artistic, apparently - but ends up enjoying himself when he gets to tie-dye some t-shirts.

Kentarou even teaches Yuuji how to properly use a spinning wheel to make a clay pot.

It’s nowhere near as nice as Kentarou’s, but it’s surprisingly fun, and he’s happy to have made something to bring home with him.

* * *

 

Yuuji is woken with a start; he practically jumps up, stumbling out of bed that evening. He stands, shakily, blinking and trying to figure out what woke him-

Light flashes into the cabin through the window, thunder rocking him to his core.

Yuuji swallows, slumping down to the ground beside his bed.

 _It’s just a storm, it’s just a storm, it’s not a big deal, it’s not a big deal_ -

Another crack of thunder shakes him, and he brings up his knees to his chest, burying his face against his legs.

He manages to block out the light, but then thunder cracks-

Yuuji jumps, smacking his elbow on his bed; he lets out a few short curses, stunned momentarily by the pain. Wincing, he draws back into himself as the rain began to pour outside.

He presses his face back against his legs, determined to regulate his breathing and erratic heartbeat _somehow_.

He has no idea how long he stays curled up like that.

All he knows is that the storm doesn’t get any better.

It only gets worse.

His heart is beating so hard he feels like he can almost hear the blood rushing through his veins. It’s unnerving, and he presses a palm to his chest in an attempt to do _something_.

Nothing happens, and then-

“Yuuji?”

Yuuji  _freezes_. Fuck, Hajime is up, no, he can’t see me like this, no no no-

“Yuuji, are you okay?”

Yuuji can’t even bring himself to move. He only just realizes how hard he’s shaking.

Footsteps pad over towards him, slowly and sluggishly, and then there’s a weight at his shoulder. “Hey, Yuuji, it’s alright. You’re not alone, I’m here.”

Hajime squeezes Yuuji’s shoulder comfortingly, sliding down to the floor to sit next to him.

Yuuji doesn’t move and he doesn’t respond. He doesn’t think that he _can_.

Hajime’s patient, though, and just keeps his hand pressed against Yuuji’s shoulder. “Just focus on me, okay?”

Slowly, Yuuji nods. He pries himself up, uncurling himself from around his legs.

He breathes, slowly; he listens to Hajime’s breathing, focusing on that. He tries to get his breathing even with Hajime’s - it’s about two seconds, breath in, two seconds, breath out.

He steadies his breathing, but his heart is still beating rapidly. Another bolt of lightning, and Yuuji flinches.

After a few moments of silence, Hajime grunts, “Hey, come here.”

Yuuji swallows, shaking his head. He balls his hands into fists. “I… I got this.”

“It’s okay, y’know,” Hajime says softly. “It’s okay to be scared. Come here, you idiot.”

This time, Yuuji shifts; he allows himself to be pulled up against Hajime. The other boy is warm, his heartbeat steady. Yuuji breathes in his scent - he smells a little like the cedarwood shampoo he uses, but largely he smells of the lake - it reminds Yuuji of their adventures, of their fun and of their friendship.

Instead of listening to the torrential rain, he focuses in on Hajime’s heartbeat. It’s steady - just like Hajime himself. Yuuji finds himself wrapping his arms around Hajime’s waist, letting the other pull him up and right into his lap.

Hajime’s hands are in his hair, rubbing his temples, sliding to the back of his neck and pressing into the muscles there. Yuuji sighs, pliant, burying his face against Hajime’s t-shirt.

Neither one speaks for some time. Yuuji finds himself relaxing; his heart beat slows, going back to normal, and he lets his eyes close. He’s pretty sure he could fall back asleep like this, with Hajime’s fingers in his hair - but then he realizes how unfair he’s being to Hajime.

How close he’s getting, _fuck_ -

“I-um,” Yuuji pulls back suddenly, “I’m… I’m okay, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

Hajime just rolls his eyes. “Shut up, it’s fine.” Thunder rolls through the cabin again and Yuuji flinches. “The storm isn’t letting up anytime soon, though, and I’d like to get some sleep.”

“Like I said, I’m fine so-”

“So, just come on and let’s lay down.”

Yuuji freezes.

“What?”

Hajime turns his face so Yuuji can’t see the pink dusting across his cheeks. “Come on, it’s easier to sleep with someone, right? So… look, just don’t make it weird. It’s fine.”

It’s _not_ fine, clearly, judging by the fact that they’re both blushing like mad. Yuuji nods, though, and stands up.

He isn’t going to admit it, but he’s grateful.

They climb into Hajime’s bed awkwardly. It takes a bit for them to get down into a comfortable spot, shifting and moving, but Hajime relaxes once he’s pulled Yuuji in against his chest and they don’t have to look at each other anymore.

“Just breathe,” Hajime reminds him, and he runs his fingers gently through Yuuji’s hair.

Yuuji nods, willing himself to relax; he closes his eyes, and allows his arms to slip around Hajime’s neck. The other boy doesn’t seem to mind; his breathing softens, and his grip on Yuuji loosens.

But it’s enough - more than enough, actually - and Yuuji isn’t even bothered by the roar of the thunder, or the bright flashing lightning.

He just breathes in deep, falling into the most relaxing sleep yet of his stay.

* * *

 It’s week three and the first day of the week is the start of their ‘intense’ track and field training.

They’re allowed to work pretty much in their groups, which is nice; over breakfast, group 7 devours as much bacon and eggs as they can get their mitts on, discussing strategy.

They split up the events to focus on pretty evenly, and Yuuji is tasked with the longer distance runs. Those are the few he’s actually not horrible at, thankfully.

* * *

 They work, training their asses off.

When Yuuji times himself and compares it to the first time they practiced, he has to say that the results he’s seeing are gratifying.

* * *

Yuuji isn’t sure his heart ever beat as fast as it did the evening of the campfire.

He thought it was going to be silly. Marshmallows? Campfire songs? What are they, twelve year olds vying for boy scout badges?

Once the fire is going and everyone sits down, Yuuji is all ready to berate the tradition for being silly, until Hajime gets handed a beat-up guitar and _plays_.

God, it’s magical.

He’s transfixed; every movement Hajime makes catches his eye and he just can’t look away.

Daichi even sings, and he can honestly say that it’s some of the greatest music he’s ever listened to.

* * *

 Okay, so it’s not like Yuuji has never had friends before.

But something about this group of friends just has him feeling like he… _belongs_ , in a way he never really has before.

He can’t help but laugh along with Tetsurou’s antics, and get involved with Koutarou’s shenanigans; Daichi’s attempts to keep them in line are amusing, and he even finds himself talking more with Kentarou.

He vehemently ignores the fact that in two weeks this will all be over and he won’t be able to see any of them again.

* * *

A loud crash, followed by a murmured _shit_ is what wakes Yuuji up a few nights later.

Blinking, blearily, he tries to get a feel for his surroundings. It’s clearly still late - the only light shining into the cabin is the moonlight - yet for some reason, Hajime is awake. He can see him pacing around the room, mumbling to himself. Yuuji can’t hear what he’s saying, but judging by his rigid posture, something is wrong.

“Hajime?” He mumbles, sitting up in bed and rubbing at his eyes. “What’s up?”

Hajime freezes. “Fuck, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“‘S okay,” Yuuji mumbles, a yawn escaping his lips. “I don’t mind. Are you having trouble sleeping?”

Hajime sighs, nodding. He runs a hand through his hair, expressing tight. “Yeah, I can't seem to relax.”

Yuuji hums. He gathers his bearings before swinging his legs over the side of the bed, feeling around for his sandals. “Wanna go for a walk? It’s kinda stuffy in here.”

“You don’t have to-”

“I know.” Yuuji slips on his sandals, shrugging his shoulders. “You helped me out before so I really don’t mind.”

Hajime pauses before nodding. “Okay.”

They end up outside, not too far from their cabins, sprawled out by the lake.

Yuuji is surprised at how easily honesty comes, under the dark sky, in the middle of nowhere with someone who doesn’t expect anything from him.

Maybe that’s the beauty of it - they have no expectations of each other.

They just get to _be_.

Hajime tells him of his home life, of his mother who has remarried and focuses all her attention on his step-brother. Yuuji even finally admits what happened to him back at home, and the reason why he’s here in the first place.

They talk and talk and talk. It’s so natural, really.

It feels like an enormous weight has been lifted, being able to share things with someone else.

“You know, you were a pretty big asshole when you first got here," Hajime tells him.

Scratching the back of his neck, Yuuji chuckles. “Yeah. Sorry about that, by the way. I was just pissed I got sent here. Not your fault.”

“I know. You were really obvious about it.” He follows this with a sigh, “but now… now we barely have two weeks left, and I’m… well, it’s gonna suck when we have to say goodbye.”

Yuuji’s chest tightens; it’s what he’s been avoiding thinking about. He didn’t want to be here in the first place and now he doesn’t want to leave.

He’d run another dozen 10ks just to get some more time here.

Perhaps it’s the night sky, or Hajime’s gentle expression, but Yuuji starts to feel brave.

So brave that he’s willing to do something that’s probably pretty stupid.

“Hajime?”

“Yeah?”

“I…. um, I wanna do something, and if you don’t like it that’s cool, but promise me you won’t get mad?”

Hajime frowns. “That sounds really ominous.”

“I promise it’s nothing bad.”

“Hm,” he eyes him, “Okay. I trust you.”

That _honesty_ \- it knocks the wind out of him, and his toes curl; all of his courage seeps out like it’s being sucked away by the world’s largest mosquito.

He felt sick to his stomach. Were his hands shaking?

Maybe they were. Whatever. No big deal.

“Close your eyes.”

Rather than respond, Hajime does just that.

Yuuji gathers up his tiny, pathetic amount of courage and goes for it.

He ghosts his lips to Hajime’s, pressing the softest, gentlest kiss he’s ever given to him.

It lasts only a few seconds before Yuuji pulls back. He instantly regrets it all, because _fuck_ what if Hajime is mad, fuck fuck fuck-

But then hands fist in the fabric of his shirt and pull him close again.

Hajime kisses him back.

It’s not very coordinated and a little hesitant, but they’re kissing; Hajime’s lips are cold from the night air, but Yuuji warms them up quickly. They slot their lips together like they were waiting for this moment.

Yuuji winds his arms around Hajime’s neck, deepening the kiss.

They kiss for what feels like an eternity. It’s amazing, brilliant, everything Yuuji could have wanted.

He feels himself pulling away, swallowing thickly. “Hajime, I, I-”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hajime laughs. “It’s all good.” He brings up a hand, brushing away a few tears-

Shit, when did he start crying?

“Yuuji,” Hajime says, chuckling to himself; he brings him in for another hug, lips brushing his gently once again.

Yuuji relaxes, burying his face against Hajime’s chest, listening to the rhythmic breathing of his heart. Hajime runs his fingers through Yuuji’s hair, peppering his face with kisses.

When the cold air becomes too much they finally head back, but end up falling asleep curled up together.

They end up spending many nights after that curled up together.

They don’t tell anyone about what’s changed; there’s no need, they decide. Yuuji feels like Daichi and Tetsurou might have noticed, but he can’t really be bothered to care.

The stolen kisses he gets from Hajime are his and his alone.

Yuuji might like Hajime even more when, after a long day in the sun, he lends him some aloe vera and even rubs it into his back for him.

It feels _amazing_ , and Hajime insists on re-applying it on his sunburn when the camp director makes Yuuji participate in activities anyway.

Well, the fact that Hajime’s rubbing his bare skin isn’t too bad either.

* * *

They train. God, do they ever work their asses off.

Yuuji didn’t know that his muscles could ache and burn this much; he goes to bed every night, sore, even after having stretched them out.

He wants to do well. He wants to be _great_ , because he knows that even if they’re not saying it outright to him, all of his friends really want to win.

After all, they’ve been coming here for years, and this would be a fitting way to end it.

Yuuji really wants to win for them.

It feels like time is flying by; the track and field meet creeps up on them in absolutely no time at all.

It's their last week and Yuuji can't bring himself to even think about leaving. 

* * *

Yuuji does not want to get out of bed that morning. I mean, how could he, with Hajime spooning him? But, the fact that Hajime kicks him out of bed to get up is a pretty good motivator.

He yawns his way through breakfast, where they eat an energizing amount of eggs, meat and veggies. He drinks down water at Daichi’s insistence, giving Tetsurou his cucumbers in exchange for green bell peppers.

He’s nervous. He’s never been so nervous for something like this _ever_ , but so much more is riding on this than some fancy ‘victor’ title.

He wants to do well for them.

For the friends who have accepted him so readily and so wholeheartedly; he never once felt like he didn’t fit in.

He wants to do them proud.

And he does.

* * *

It’s a _hot_ day.

Yuuji sweats his way through his first activity, where he competes in running the 800m. He comes in second - not bad.

Everyone is cheering him on and they move like a well-oiled machine through events to see each other compete as much as possible.

He’s either screaming his lungs out or moving as fast as his feet will take him.

Koutarou dominates the sprinting runs, getting two first places; Hajime owns shot put, before getting a third-place in long jump.

Daichi gets a first in high jump, and a second in the javelin throw. He beams, brightly, proudly; he doesn’t notice the smile he gets from that team 5 guy as he walks back to his group.

Kentarou and Tetsurou both do well, and Yuuji is proud at his running for the 1 km run.

They break for lunch, and gulp down water; tension is high as the last event is the relay race.

Yuuji wipes his sweat with a damp towel, pouring water on his face after words.

“You can do it,” Hajime tells him, smile on his face.

He pats his shoulder as they walk out, lining up for the race.

_I can do it._

* * *

 He does it.

* * *

 Yuuji runs his heart out, conquering the second-last leg of the relay run, just after Tetsurou and just before-

“Hajime!” He cries, as they slap their hands together.

Hajime wastes no time.

He runs.

He runs, and snags them the win.

Yuuji screams until his lungs feel like they’re about to burst.

* * *

The last few days of Yuuji’s summer camp experience go by almost in a blur.

He spends as much time as he can with his newfound friends.

He listens to Koutarou’s silly stories, and laughs along with Tetsurou’s jokes. He heeds Daichi’s advice and joins in on soccer games when he wants to, he talks video games with Kentarou-

And he spends as much time as possible with Hajime.

They both know the inevitability of whatever it is that they have going on. They don’t talk about it, but they both think about it. Every time they hug, kiss, or cuddle late into the evening-

It’s on their minds, but Yuuji is scared to bring it up.

How is it that he finally gets into a relationship, he finally _cares_ , only for it to come with an expiration date?

He doesn’t want to leave any of his friends - fuck, these are some of the _best_ friendships he’s ever made - and he certainly doesn’t want to leave Hajime.

But they’ve still got that last year of high school looming over their heads.

There are just _two days_ left when Hajime breaks.

* * *

They’re curled up together in the evening, after lights out, when he clears his throat. “Yuuji? Can we, uh, talk?”

Yuuji can practically hear his heartbeat with how loud it’s beating. “Um, yeah. Sure.”

Hajime lets out a breath. “Okay, so, we only have two days left…”

“Yeah…”

“And… I’m not ready to let this end.”

Yuuji freezes. “What?”

“You… you said you’re going to a new school, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s… it’s not far from my school, actually. Just a train ride away. I know that we won’t be able to see each other as much as we do now, but. I wanna try and make this work.” Hajime squeezes his middle, burying his nose between Yuuji’s shoulder blades. “What do you say?”

_What do you say?_

Yuuji chokes back a sob. “Of course, you dumbass.”

Hajime huffs a laugh, “I’ll come visit, you can come see me. You’ll love my dog, she loves to cuddle. I’ll get to meet your friends. We- we’ll stay together.”

Yuuji does not cry.

Not even a little bit.

* * *

Yuuji thought it would be bad enough saying goodbye to Hajime.

Yet, somehow, saying goodbye to all of his friends is twice as hard.

They all exchange numbers for when they get home.

“Keep in touch?” Daichi smiles, clapping Yuuji on the shoulder.

“Of course.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass when we finally get to game together,” Kentarou announces.

“Not if I kick it first!” Tetsurou crosses his arms.

Koutarou is too busy blubbering to really say much, but he pulls Yuuji into a crushing bear hug. “You’ll text, right?”

“Yeah, sure.” Yuuji laughs, ruffling his hair, which is actually down and soft for once.

“Kou, you are such a big baby,” Tetsurou laughs. “You do this every year.”

“It’s always sad!”

“You know you still get to see me every day. We go to the same school.”

“It’s not the same!” Koutarou blubbers, but everyone laughs.

Hajime squeezes his hand, and somehow, he knows that it’s all going to be okay.

Maybe, as it turns out, this whole summer camp was actually a really good idea.

One of the best ideas his parents have had for him, really.

Yuuji boards the first bus.

But before he can go, Hajime pulls him down.

In front of everyone, he plants a kiss right on his lips; Yuuji returns it, smiling, arms looped around his shoulders.

“Safe travels,” Hajime smiles. “Text me when you’re home safe.”

* * *

The journey is long, punctuated by too many stops at gas stations and really bad music on the radio.

By the time Yuuji gets home, he’s tired, hungry, and ready to pass out in his bedroom.

He can’t really do that though - not when his house is half in boxes, his parents in the middle of packing up their entire lives to move an hour away to send Yuuji to a new, better school.

His parents tell him it’s not his fault, that they wanted to move; the commute every day wouldn’t be good for his schooling. He contemplates arguing, but he sees that they’re trying-

And in the end, he feels nothing but love for them. The anger he felt at his parents has since dissipated. He stops to hug his mom, and then his dad; heading upstairs, he takes in the sight of his room, and what he’s going to have to pack up.

Things are changing, but maybe it’s for the better.

Yuuji pulls out his phone, checking out the picture on his lock screen - one thing he’d done before leaving was get a group shot of his new friends, somehow jammed into one shot.

Somehow, he knows it’s all going to be okay.

He remembers his promise, so he starts typing up a text to one of his new contacts.

 **Yuuji:** I’m home, Hajime.

He flops down on his bed, letting out a soft sigh. The reply he gets comes moments later, and sets his heart at ease.

 **Hajime:** Me too.

 **Hajime:** The train runs all day on Friday, and I finish school at 4. Can I come visit you?

Yeah… it’s all gonna work out fine.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading :)


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